Dog Mom or Veterinarian? - Can We Be Both?

Dr. Krissy Bussmann joined Mt. Tabor Vet Care in April 2009 and loves her job! For more information, check out her bio on our website.

I can’t count how many times in my veterinary career, especially in emergency medicine, I’ve had the responsibility of taking care of my injured or ill patients and also have to reassure my clients and guide them through their options in a stressful situation. But I never thought about how I might react when the injury was in my own dog and I was called on to be not only his mom but also his veterinarian.
 
Two weeks ago my dog Tommy broke his tail. He’s a whippet with a long skinny tail, and it got in the way of the car door. I was on the opposite side of the car when the door slammed, and I couldn’t see what was happening. He started screaming and my first thought was that he was being murdered. Thankfully only his tail had gotten caught in the door and he is healing with it all wrapped up with a tongue depressor as a splint. He still breaks my heart when he looks sad or whimpers despite his pain medication.

This is an X-ray of Tommy's broken tail. We found an old, healed fracture just past the new fracture!

Fortunately, neither of my dogs have ever been seriously ill. But Tommy is a senior dog at 13 and he has early kidney insufficiency. What makes it so hard to make major decisions for our pets is that they can’t speak for themselves. My two dogs, like your own pets, completely trust that we will provide for them and protect them, and I feel a huge responsibility (as you must) to be their guardian and safe-keeper.

Here is Tommy modeling his tail splint. There is a tongue depressor wrapped up in there for stabilization!

Honestly, if I had to make a huge medical decision for them, I don’t think I would be able to do it on my own. My knowledge as a doctor would fly out the window and I would panic. There is no way that I can both be my dogs’ mom and their doctor at the same time, and that is clearly demonstrated by the blind, sheer panic I felt when the tip of Tommy’s tail broke. I would need and want a trusted medical professional team to help me work through my options, hold my hand and support me through the difficult situation.  

Both Kristin and I have experienced medical issues with our own pets and we are grateful to have a community of supportive veterinary friends to let us be the moms while taking excellent care of our pets. We both feel that this is what makes the veterinary care we offer so special – we know what it’s like to be worried about our companions and we understand the overwhelming responsibility of making the best decisions for our pets.